Start Gardening Series
17 Plants for Specific Uses....
A garden that is a haven for wildlife will
have a sound ecological balance. Plants will
be healthier and more vigorous.
There will be freer seeding and less need
for chemicals because there will be fewer
problems with pests. Birds, hedgehogs and
frogs are the gardener’s best ally against slugs.
Beneficial insects such as lacewings (larvae),
ladybirds and hoverflies (larvae) eat aphids.
Essential requirements are food, shelter and water. If
at all possible have a garden pond. Use a diverse range
of native trees, scented shrubs and flowers and berried
plants which provide birds with essential nutrients
in winter. Climbers give cover and so make excellent
sites for nests. Pollinating insects are attracted to
pollen and nectar-rich plants such as snowdrops,
hebe, honeysuckle, hyssopus, thyme, penstemon and
buddleja (whose nickname is the Butterfly Bush). Quite
apart from the practical benefits, there is the huge
pleasure of having a resident population – can you
imagine a garden without birdsong? and polygonatum
handle both pollution and shade. Many roses do well
in city conditions. A small amount of pollution can
actually help combat black spot and fungal diseases.
Colour
Avoid a hotchpotch medley of colours. Mass planting
in blocks of colour is much more effective: an all-blue
bed, a hot bed of pinks, reds and oranges or an allwhite colour scheme – marvellous by moonlight.
For high drama, juxtapose clashing colours, a swathe of
rudbeckia ‘Marmalade’ flanked by crimson amaranthus,
or nature’s wildflower contrast of scarlet field poppies
with the intense blue of cornflowers.
Colour can be used to punctuate: Purple ‘Queen of
Night’ tulips in a sea of sunshine yellow doronicum
or to light up dark corners; the fleshy pink petals of
colchicum, the autumn crocus at the base of a tree.
A cool combination for a contemporary garden would
be a collection of silver foliage plants studded with
green flowers, stately eucomis (the Pineapple Lily),
spring-flowering euphorbia and Helleborus lividus,
hacquetia and molucella (Bells of Ireland). It pays to
do a little research into colour psychology. Your colour
choices may say more about you than you think!
Coastal areas
To survive near the coast plants have to be tough,
capable of surviving winter gales and salt and sandladen winds. The first priority should be to create a
shelter belt by planting a hedge.
Good choices would be evergreen Griselinia littoralis
(littoralis means shore), Escalonia macrantha,
Hippophae rhamnoides and the seldom seen Tamarix
ramosissima ‘Rubra’, known as the hedgehog rose.
A fence will provide temporary protection until the
hedge reaches the required height. It makes sense
to restrict your planting to species known to thrive
in maritime conditions. These include the grass Stipa
gigantea, olearia, seabuckthorn, brooms, hebes, plants
Growing the success of Irish food & horticulture
Start Gardening Series
17 Plants for Specific Uses....
with silver foliage, with furred leaves such as Lobelia
tupa and those with leathery leaves such as Eucalyptus
gunni. Flowers include agapanthus ‘Blue Giant’ and
three colourful imported species that have naturalised
around Ireland’s south west coast, crocosmia, fuchsia
and kniphofia. The upside of coastal gardening is
that the climate is milder, salt air discourages frost
and snowfalls are rare, opening up the possibility of
growing exotica such as palm trees and Mediterranean
species.
the showiest perennials are unfazed by exhaust fumes:
geranium, aquilegia, sedum and hemerocallis. Bergenia
Pollution
Plants are a major weapon against pollution, both
sound and airborne. A shelter belt of trees or a high
hedge can deaden noise and filter wind carrying
airborne dust and dirt. There is a wide range of shrubs,
flowers and climbers suitable for sites exposed to urban
pollution and difficult to screen, such as front gardens.
It is worth making a tour of your neighbourhood to
note what is thriving.
In areas of heavy pollution, deciduous plants which
renew their leaves every year have a better chance of
survival than evergreens. That said, box, bay, camellia,
cotoneaster, holly, ligustrum and skimmia should be
a safe bet. Fatsia japonica, known as the false castor
oil plant, makes a splendid specimen bush. Some of
Smell
Few delights compare with that of scent on the air and
of all the pleasure to be had in a garden, none is more
easily attainable. A few seeds, sown where you intend
them to grow, will reward you with perfume that will
last all summer long.
Scents can vary from the barely perceptible sweetness
of a snowdrop to the bittersweet fragrance of orange
blossom, to the overpowering aroma of Lilium regale.
The ultimate scented garden will have lawn camomile
underfoot, aromatic plants such as rosemary, lavender
and pineapple sage at finger tip height, nose-high lilies,
honeysuckle overhead on a pergola and the tender
tuberose in the greenhouse.
Breeders sometimes sacrifice scent in the interest of
other benefits, so check the variety you have chosen
is perfumed.
Modern roses, lilies and honeysuckles are ones to
watch. Don’t neglect night-scented plants, nicotiana
and night scented stock planted around outdoor
seating areas will make alfresco dining an occasion that
will linger in the memory.
Growing the success